Assessing environmental exposure in children: immunotoxicology screening

Environmental exposure to a number of xenobiotics, including pesticides, ca n have serious effects on the immune system of children, thus rendering the m susceptible to infections or other disease states. To study this problem, a recycling chromatographic system for assessing cytokine profiles in huma ns has been developed and used for the measurement of immune system functio n in children with documented exposure to residential pesticides. The syste m is capable of measuring 30 different analytes in a single sample thus ena bling the same time examination of representative markers of immune differe ntiation and function. In the present study, a cohort of 25 exposed childre n were examined and shown to exhibit a number of features; all subjects dem onstrated some abnormalities in cytokines associated with hematopoiesis. Ad ditionally, elevations in pro-inflammatory cytokines and neuropeptides indi cated a state of generalized and neurogenic inflammation. Further analysis indicated that a depression of the cellular arm of the immune system that c orrelated with clinical indicators of lowered host resistance to infection could also be detected in a subgroup of the exposed subjects. All exposed c hildren demonstrated evidence of hyperstimulation of the humoral immune sys tem as indicated by elevated IL-5 concentrations and clinical allergy. The degree of immune dysregulation in the exposed children was found to be quit e marked when compared to similar studies performed on age-matched controls .